Psychiatry forum
Re: Sexually abused as a child - afraid of males |
keane
17-08-2007 05:59
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I'm so sorry that you are suffering so much. I don't understand why you say you "shouldn't have made him hurt you." There is no way that you deserved to be treated badly. You were sexually abused from age 9 through age 15. Little girls are not for sex!
I was just telling someone today that reality is not always what we would like it to be. Sometimes we do not get to choose reality, it is imposed upon us. You have very good reasons to feel the way that you do, Helen. On the other hand, I do believe that each of us has the ability to change our reality into what we do choose.
Helen, I want you to stand up and say to yourself, everyday, "These things happened to me in the past, but I can do anything I choose to do today and in the future." I want you to empower yourself to move through and beyond your past.
You mentioned wanting to be normal. I would like to know what is normal, and who gets to define it. Is normal whatever happens to be fashionable? Is it what your parents want you to do? Is it whatever the majority of people are doing? I can cite many instances in which those situations were definitely not normal.
Give your medicines time to work, Helen. Antidepressants take up to six weeks to have full effect. You should experience some improvement within the next few weeks, however. If you don't begin to feel better soon, then you should call your doctor. You may need a higher dose, and you probably will. Don't simply quit taking the medicine.
You are who you are only partly because of where you came from and what you went through. You are who you are also because of your personality and temperament. Use your past experiences sparingly, along with your personality and temperament to overcome. Let the past help you now to become stronger, to help others who might also be in such situations, and to grow from.
Please keep in touch. You can do this!
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Re: Sexually abused as a child - afraid of males |
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Re: Sexually abused as a child - afraid of males |
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Re: Sexually abused as a child - afraid of males |
tallan
17-08-2007 06:05
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A psychologist is someone who went to college and earned a degree in either social work or psychology. Depending upon where you are and the licensing rules, a therapist will be either a Master's degree level or a Ph. D. level.
I am a psychiatrist. To be a psychiatrist, you go to medical school and learn medicine just like every other doctor. The difference between a psychiatrist and a family doctor, for example, is that we spend lots of time learning about the psychiatric medications, how to read someone's affect and nonverbal communication, and the biology of psychiatric illness. We do learn about general medicine, but not to a great extent. Psychiatrists must know about the "somatic"* disease states in general, how they react with psychiatric illnesses, and how the medications that treat somatic illnesses can interact with medicines that treat psychiatric illnesses. Also, medicines for the somatic illnesses can sometimes cause what may appear to be a psychiatric illness, as an adverse effect.
Personally, I think that people with very serious psychiatric problems should be treated by a psychiatrist rather than their family doctor. A psychologist should be consulted when medication is not enough and the illness is severe enough to require someone who is an expert at psychotherapy (such as a psychologist).
For the type of illness you have, I think a therapist and a psychiatrist should be working with you.
*somatic = purely physical
   
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Re: Sexually abused as a child - afraid of males |
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Re: Sexually abused as a child - afraid of males |
mike
17-08-2007 06:14
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Please don't give up!! While your therapist is gone on holiday, there should be someone filling in. I know it's not the same as talking to your own therapist, but if you are in crisis, then you need to call. Think about it like this: when you are in crisis and thinking about self-harm, then you haven't got anything to lose by calling whoever is filling in for your therapist. Another thing to consider is that you are able to talk to "us" here in the forum. Isn't that somewhat similar to talking to an unfamiliar therapist?
The alternative thing to do, would be to go to the emergency room. If you decide to do that, please tell them about your thoughts of harming yourself.
About your sleep problem. Have you ever tried a simple glass of warm milk? This is a natural sleep aid. Try taking your Zoplicone with a warm glass of milk.
You mentioned that you have thoughts about hurting yourself, not to die, but to be taken care of. This does not sound as bad as you think it does. I'm relieved that you're not thinking of dying. At some time, everyone needs to be taken care of. I realize that you feel all alone, with no one to take care of you, and I understand how that feels. I want you to try something new that most people don't think of:
Take care of yourself.
Inside you, pardon the cliche, is a scared child.
Hold her and protect her--it is what she needs.
Finally, Helen, you also must know that people who harm themselves because they need taking care of do die, accidentally. This is a dangerous game.
Please don't give up. Get help before it's too late.
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